You'll never guess which AAA console devs have already made games for iOS and Android
Or, you know, you might
Mobile gaming. Everyone is doing it nowadays.
Even the big console developers. Konami's "main platform" will be mobile. Square's shifting to mobile after seeing big profits. Even Nintendo is throwing its plumbers hat into the ring.
But these Japanese giants are far from the first big developers to have a crack at breaking the mobile market. In fact, quite a few have had a bash - some you might not even know about.
So I've only gone and made a list of AAA devs that have made mobile games.
You might get a little depressed when you check some of them out, but don't worry too much, because one day the sun will explode and the Earth will be nothing more than motes of dust floating on the cosmic winds.
RemedyAlan Wake - Agents of Storm
On console, Remedy made some pretty impressive stuff. There's torch-based survival horror title Alan Wake, along with the first two Max Payne games. So shooty, jumpy, torchy third person adventures.
On mobile there's Agents of Storm. Which is basically Clash of Clans but with boats instead of barbarians. Even our own free to play walrus Peter Willington didn't like it, and he laps that crap up like a cat inhaling dairy products.
InsomniacRatchet and Clank - Outernauts: Monster Battle
Ratchet and Clank is quite good right? I don't think I've played any of the games, but I like the way the words feel in my mouth. All bouncy and fun.
Outernauts: Monster Battle is also fun to say. It's also also fun to play. It's a bit like Pokemon, but with some Clash of Clans thrown in because, well... because. It's better than Agents of Storm though.
TechlandDead Island - Dead Stop
There's at least a reasonably sensible thread to these two. Dead Island is a game about murdering zombies. It had a trailer that made it look deep and meaningful, and a butchered torso special edition statue that made it look anything but.
On mobile Techland made Dead Stop, which is a game about murdering zombies. This time it's all cutesy cartoony, and rather than an FPS it's a tower defence game. We quite liked it, although I have absolutely no memory of playing it.
Human HeadPrey - Lost Within
Prey was a game about a native American who got sucked into a spaceship. It had rock and roll music, some cool shifty portal mechanics, and an intriguing looking sequel that never got made.
Lost Within is a slightly cack-handed survival horror game that doesn't quite get scaring the pants off you right. It's a noble effort though, and is creepy enough to be worth a go.
CrytekCrysis - The Collectables
Can your PC run Crysis? I don't think mine can, but then it's a Mac, so it can't really do anything apart from make me look like a super cool dude. Right? The Crysis series is still the benchmark for eye-bleeding choose-your-own-plan-of-attack FPS games.
And The Collectables is a sort of turn-based strategy action game for mobile. It looks quite nice, and we enjoyed the time we spent with it. Plus it's a pun on The Expendables, and puns are always good in my book.
Frozenbyte Trine - SplotTrine is a clever mix of platforming, puzzling, and magic spells. Everyone seems to love it. I haven't played it, but I'm sure it's very nice and everyone is right. Or delusional, one of the two.
I think I have played Splot though. It's a bit meh. You control a coloured blob and have to make your way through a series of levels, avoiding black blobs. That's pretty much all I remember.
KalypsoTropico - Crown Takers
Tropico isn't a delicious fruit drink apparently, it's a management sim that features a man with a giant moustache. Guess what, not played it.
Crowntakers is a mobile mix-up of a roguelike and a turn-based strategy game. We haven't reviewed it, but I imagine we'd have said something like that if we did. It's got almost nothing to do with Clash of Clans, so that's a good start.
Ninja TheoryDmC - Fightback
I really like DmC. I've owned it for three consoles, so that should tell you how much. I mean, I've not finished it, but that's not the point. It has swords and guns and it made lots of people go "wah wah wah this isn't like how I remembered things."
Fightback is a decent touchscreen brawler with an overpoweringly icky free to play system that makes it really difficult to love. Which is a shame, because I really really wanted to love it. Lesson learned.
RebellionSniper Elite 3 - Joust Legend
I think Sniper Elite 3 had Charlie Brooker in it. He's quite famous now and he used to write about games, so I guess there's hope for me yet. Not a lot of hope, but hey, we cling onto whatever we can get around here.